Jonny Kealoha is the charismatic host of a struggling Waikiki Polynesian lū`au show. To everyone’s surprise, including his own, he is appointed as the successor to a high school boy’s hula class when his former Kumu Hula (master hula teacher) passes away. He becomes as much a student as a teacher through the demands of leading the boys to a significant cultural event and rediscovers the sanctity of the culture he had previously abandoned.
Acting
Tui Asau's lived-in charisma masks genuine vulnerability throughout.
Practical Effects
Authentic hula sequences performed by actual kane hula practitioners.
Director
Keo Woolford
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Keo Woolford was himself a kane hula dancer who fought to normalize men in hula, a practice historically suppressed by colonial and missionary influence.
The film's budget was roughly $500,000—Woolford sold his car and maxed credit cards after studios passed, making this a true independent labor of cultural love.
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